Bag-filling machine



July 23, 19?9. BUSHMAN 1,722,128

' BAG FILLING mcnins Original Filed Aug. 29, 1924 Patented July 23, 1929.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT 1. BUQHIAN, OI SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, BY HEBRE .AS-

SIGNMENIS, TO BATES VALVE BAG CORPORATION, 01 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A 003- POBA'IION OF NEW JERSEY.

BAG-IILLING MACHINE.

Original application filed August 29, 1924, serial No. 735,001, and in Germany June, 1927. Divided and this application illed September 2, 1927. Serial Io. 217,099.

This invention relates to bag filling and weighin' machines with special reference to types in which finely powdered or granular material such as cement, is de osited in definite quantities by weight, into ags having a relatively small lateral opening at their upper ends, commonly known as valve bags. The subject matter of this application is disclosed in a joint application of the inventor together with Edward L. Bushman and Nathan M. Fegely, filed August 29, 1924, Serial No. 735,001.

An object of the invention is to provide a pivoted delivery s ut actuated automati- 1 cally upon completion of the filling operation to positively close the inlet passage in a substantially frictionless manner. A manually operated auxiliary means for preventing flow until an empty bag has been subgo ml ttgd for that previously filled may be supp The action of the automatic cutoff is dependent upon the operation of a compound weighing device comprised of a platform scale carried on a pair of parallel levers mounted one above the other on knife-ed e pivots and capable of being accurately a Justed by counterpoises to the predetermined I weight of material to be entered in each bag,

thus tending to economy, speed, and convenience in handling.

The delivery spout is preferably flared to facilitate delivery and prevent possible clogging, and adjusting devices are supplied at.

all desirable points.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts embodied, by way of example, in the apparatus hereinafter described as illustrating the preferred form of' the invention, and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Further objects and advantages of the in- 1 vention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which fragmentar show, by way of example, the preferred embodiment of the invention. Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in the various ways, F igure 1 1s a partial front elevational view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form 0 delivery spout and valve, taken on the center line and drawn to an enlarged scale; 1g. 3 is a top plan view of the part i shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the spout inclined and 100 the valve closed. .2 Machines for the purpose outlined are usuallycomposed of a series of units, disposed in parallel spaced relation u on a common base or foundation, sup lied trough and actuat by a power-driven shaft. The preferred type of such machine as shown in the accompanying drawings, consists of side frames, generally'denoted by the numeral 20, composed of bases 21 having forwardly extendlng elements and raised columns, convergingly inclined at their upper ends.

Connecting between pairs of these frames, at their bases, are the members, as the rolled beams 22, held rigidly by riveted angles 23, and at the front by a cross beam 24 having flanged ends 25 also riveted to the frames.

The frames are further held in ri 'd relation at their u per converging ends y being 30 secured to the ottom of a feed trough 26 into which the material is supplied in any convenient manner.

Material is fed from the feed trough 26 into hoppers 29, but one of which is shown in the drawings. The hopper 29 has converging side walls, and has mounted therein a shaft 30, driving an impeller, not shown, used to agitate and force the material forward to the outlet, to which is secured a hollow, o0 elbow-like valve connection 32.

A bracket 33 is fixed on the upper horizontal face of the beam 22, the bracket having an upright extension 34. Bifurcated rom a single feed 65 v bosses 35 on the brackets and similar bosses 36 on the extensions are formed with open top ed, V-shaped seats or recesses to receive kni e-edge elements 37 and 38 set respectively in levers 39 and 40, relatively lower and upper, at about the center of their lengths.

These levers extend centrally between the frame sides, from near their rear columns to points substantially in a vertical plane with the bar 24, and are connected in parallel by a pivoted yoke 41 at their rear ends.

The lower lever has mounted thereon a weight of considerable magnitude, and the upper lever has mounted thereon a lesser weight, these weights being mounted and adjusted in a suitable manner, not shown.

The front ends of the levers are united by a link 46, the connection comprising knifeedge pivots 49 and 50. Link or bar 46 is constrained to move in a vertical plane due to the parallel link action of the ends of the levers connected thereto.

A pad 51 at the bottom of bar 46 contacts with a seat 52 carried on a support 53 integral with the cross beam 24, forming a solid abutment to receive the impact of the bar 46 upon its descent.

Carried at the upper end of the'bar 46 is a ribbed plate 54 on which rests thebase 55 of a scale having a platform 56 to which is attached a rearwardly reaching arm 57' carrying the stem 58 of a forked yoke 59 pivotally supporting a curved apron or guide plate 60 adapted to position a bag, not shown, centrally on the platform 56 and partially sup-- porting the bag as it becomes filled.

The upright 62 of the latform scale frame is secured to lugs 63 o the base 55 and its horizontal arm 64 is provided with a graduated scale beam 65 and adjustable weight 66 by which the load on the platform 54 may be accurately determined.

9 The outer flange of valve connection 32 is disposed in a perpendicular plane, facing the front of the machine, and attached to it isa rectangular valve bod 70 having a smoothly finished concave face 1, the axis of which is in a horizontal plane.

Rigidly fixed on opposite sides of the valve body 70 or discharge throat are forwardly extending arms 7 2' and 73 having inreaching hubs at their ends, the arm 72 carrying a setscrew 75 and the opposite arm having journaled in it a spindle 7 6.-

The point of the set-screw 75 and inner end of the spindle bear upon bosses 77 fixed on opposite sides of a spout 78, at its cylindrical end adjacent the discharge throat 70, the outer portion of the spout being preferably flared or expanded at its outer side 79, and out angularly, as at 80, from a point in the flared portion to the opposite upper. side, presenting a thin narrow entering end 81 suited to readily enter an opening in the upper edge of the bag, the shape of the discharge opening being ovoidal and of greater area than the inlet opening of the spout. Spout 79 when so entered in the opening of a bag serves to support the bag by the top thereof; a part of the load being also carried, when the bag is filled, by a platform 56.

Spout 78 is swung upon the axis of the spindle 76, by means of an arm 82 fixed to the spindle and pivotally engaged at its outer end by a rod 83, connected by a turnbuckle 84 with the rod 85 pivoted to a bracket 86 fixed on the side of the platform 56, opposite the scale upright 62. i

From the foregoing it will be seenthat when the platform 54 is in a raised position,

spout 78 will be held substantially horizontal, but when the platform, is lowered, the spout will be swung upon its pivots into the position indicated in Fig. 4.

It is, therefore, obvious that, since the top of spout 79 is in supporting engagement with the upper lip of the bag, as the spout is moved to a downwardly inclined position shown in Fig. 4, the downward force of the filled bag will cause the bag to slide forward and downwardly along spout 79.

A flat bar 87 is disposed horizontally across the center of the opening in the valve body 7 O, the front face of the bar containing a concave recess 88 presenting sharply defined lateral wiping edges, and similar. recesses 89 are formed in the concave face of the valve body above and below the bar 87.

Fixed on the end of spout 78 is a band or heavy ring 90 formed on a convex head 91, suited to closely engage and particularly rotate against the concave face 71 ofthe discharge throat on the axle-76.

This head 91 has a transverse bar 92 across its center, corresponding to the bar 87 of the discharge throat, and like it, being concaverecessed as at 93, other recesses 94 being l fhrmed in the head in parallel planes.

Thus when the spout 78 is extended horizontally, as best shown in Fig. 2, openings 95 in the discharge throat will register with the similar openings 96 in the head 91, permitting powdered or granular material to flow freely fromthe hopper 29 through the valve and out at the end of the spout 78, provided material is present in the hopper and is being propelled therefrom.

Contrariwise, when spout 78 is inclined downwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, due to the weight of material entered into the bag, tiltopposed surfaces tending to remove any acing an opening in register with said throat e5 cumulations and prevent clogging during" their relative movement, in a manner that will be readily understood.

In operation, an empty bag is laced on platform 56 adjacent apron 60, an spout 78 mserted in a small side Opening in the bag which is partially sustained b the spout.

Upon opening a suitable va ve and allowing material to flow into hopper 2? and being propelled therefrom, the material passes through the spout into the bag until the weights on the scale beams are overcome and plate 54 is lowered and the spout is inclined,

shutting off further flow and simultaneously allowing the filled bag to slide downwardly and off the spout. A suitable valve may then in a horizontal be closed, a filled bag removed from platform 56, and another empty bag substituted, the spout and platform rising immediatel upon the removal of the filled bag, the weight of which can be ascertained and checked by reading the scale beam.

In addition to acting as a cut-off, the pivoting of the spout facilitates the discharge of the filled bag. It will be clear that, when the spout is pivoted, the bag may he slid therefrom by moving its top without removing the bottom of the bag from the supporting platform. If the filling spout were held rigidly position, it would be difficult to remove the bag therefrom without removing it also from the bottom support. h

Furthermore, the pivoting of the spout, especially in the substantially frictionless manner shown, allows the operation of the scale beams practically without interference by the spout.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made in the construction shown within the terms of the appended claims which devise my invention.

What I claim is: 1

1. In a valve bag filling machine, the combination of a rigid discharge throat, a pivoted bag supporting and filling member for holding the opening of a ba to be filled in position to receive material rom said throat, and means to tilt said support downwardly, to thereby allow said filled bag to move downwardly thereon.

2. In a valve bag filling-machine, the combination with a rigid discharge throat, of weighing means, a pivoted bag supporting member for holding the valved opening of a bag to be filled in position to receive material from said throat,-and means to tilt said support downwardly responsive to said wei hing means when said bag has been filled, to thereby cause said filed bag to move downwardly along said support.

3. In a valve bag filling machine, the combination with a rigid discharge throat having an opening, of a pivoted filling spout havopening and extending therefrom in the direction of said throat opening, and a member ositioned to support the bottom of a valve ag having its valve threaded on to said spout. 4. In a valve bag filling machine, a rigid discharge throat, a pivoted spout engaged therewith, and means movable relatively to said discharge throat for supporting a bag in cooperative relation with said pivoted spout.

5. In a valve bag filling machine, the combination with a rigid discharge throat having an outlet passage therein, of a pivoted filling spout extending therefrom in the direction of said passage, and adapted to enter the valve of a bag, a member beneath said spout for supporting the bottom of a be on said spout, and cooperative means forme on said throat and spout for closin the passage through said throat when the ag is discharged from said member.

6. In a valve bag filling machine, the combination with a rigid discharge throat having an outlet passage therein, of a pivoted filling spout extending therefrom in the direction of said passage, and cooperative means formed on said throat and spout becoming operative upon inclining the spout on its pivots for closing the passage through said throat.

7. A valve bag filling machine comprising a hopper provided with a discharge throat aving a concave recess disposed across its face, a spout pivoted to said throat at the axis of the recess, and horizontal partitions adjacently disposed in the openings in said throat and said spout respectively, said partitions closing the passage through the openings when the spout is inclined upon its pivotal axis.

8. A valve ba filling machine comprising a. hopper provi ed with a discharge throat having a concave recess disposed across its face, a spout pivoted to said discharge throat at the axis of the recess, convexly recessed horizontal partitions adjacently disposed in the openings of said throat and said spout respectively, said partitions closing the passage through the openings when the spout is inclined upon its ivotal axis, and means in the proximate surfaces of said throat and spout adapted to reduce to a minimum the areas in contact and produce sharply defined scraping edges.

9. In a valve bag filling machine, the combination with a rigid discharge throat, of a pivoted filling spout cooperatin therewith, and means in the proximate surfaces of said throat and spout adapted to reduce to a minimum the areas in contact and produce sharply defined scraping edges.

10. The combination in a valve bag fillin machine having a rigid discharge throat an a spout movable relative thereto, of a cut- 0E collar intermediate the throat and spout,

said collar being fixed to one of said elements,

the opposite face of said collar presenting sharply defined edges to the other of said 5 elements.

11. In a valve bag filling machine, means providing a discharge passage, and a pivoted filling spout adapted to enter the valve of a bag for receiving material from said passage 

